Think about a desolate desert path of unfastened rock and sun-scorched earth rising from a dried out lake mattress into the solar, creosote bushes turning into themselves, the as soon as comfortable and hopeful prickly pear drooping its pads from the warmth. Now think about a truck ripping previous at close to triple-digit speeds, mud clouds filling the rearview mirror like a storm. On this Mad Maxian state of affairs, the truck thunders into a tough brake and a tougher left, bounds over a berm, slides laterally, grinds into deep sand dust ruts, whoops over whoops, then pitches downslope, the creosotes leaning in and prickly pears waving like rally spectators.
It’s simpler to think about this unbelievable actuality in a 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R. Reflecting again on it, I’m compelled to test my notes, test my cellphone, test my head to make sure that it was actually actual.
The Raptor R is a mad machine, an engineering marvel dancing over desert terrain at excessive speeds, the frenetic wheel journey pumping just like the pistons of a 720-hp V-8 but the cabin stays oddly nonetheless. No actual head bobbing or again cracking—a human shouldn’t be so comfy entering into so many instructions without delay.
On the aircraft experience to Palm Springs, Calif., I broke a crown on a problematic molar. I anticipated an assault on dentistry and chiropractics throughout my three hours desert thrashing a full-size manufacturing facility truck close to the King of the Hammers off-road course in Johnson Valley. As an alternative, the Raptor R saved the cabin steady sufficient for me to run my tongue over the absence in my mouth with out biting it.
2024 Ford F-150: What’s new?
Each 2024 Ford F-150 advantages from a mid-cycle refresh that digitally upgrades the inside with a 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.0-inch touchscreen. Don’t fear, Ford nonetheless employs massive dials for drive modes, towing help, quantity, tuning, and local weather management.
Adjustments to the outside are modest however notable. A brand new wrap-around grille curves into the fenders and homes barely modified C-shaped LED headlights. An out there modular bumper hangs under, hiding the lively grille shutters on some fashions, and enabling using a factory-installed Warn winch (with a ranking of 12,000 kilos for the Raptor) or a Inflexible LED mild bar and different equipment. It has finish caps that expose extra tire—the higher for the Raptor R’s 37-inch BFGoodrich K02s.
Within the off-road modes, the small fog lights alternate primarily based on wheel place, so for those who’re turning proper the suitable fog mild illuminates the way in which; if it’s on middle, they each stay on. The taillight design bends like an elbow and occupies extra of the fender than the tailgate to higher account for Ford’s out there Professional Entry two-way tailgate with a middle door that swings open to the passenger facet. It’s not out there on the Raptor R.
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R: What’s new?
The Raptor R advantages from a slew of enhancements, and the 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 is a good place to start out. The three.5-generation Raptor R now makes 720 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque, up from 700 hp. The 2024 Raptor nonetheless makes use of the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 that generates 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. For context on displacement, in 2009 when the F-150 Raptor first appeared, its out there 6.2-liter V-8 topped out at 411 hp.
Sure, the 2024 Raptor R now makes extra energy than the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX. The larger bragging proper, nonetheless, is that Ford nonetheless sells the Raptor R. The achieve of 20 hp comes from Ford wedging what primarily acts as an enormous snorkel proper beneath the entrance a part of the Raptor R’s hood.
“We suck a lot air to make that energy,” Ford Efficiency chief Carl Widmann advised Motor Authority. “It’s simpler to drag extra air into the system at wide-open throttle so you may get to 720 hp.”
The glint in his eye and curl in his smile weren’t simply from it being his birthday. This wizard captained a imply machine that, in Baja mode, opens the baffles and fills the cabin with the form of measured roar that matches your heartbeat.
The ten-speed computerized holds gears longer to faucet into peak torque at 4,300 rpm, however in my testing it by no means nervous about hitting the redline, giving me extra confidence to maintain going till Ford wouldn’t let me go anymore.
On the street, the commanding driving place and 74.3-inch observe width (73.9-inch rear), which is an effective six inches wider than an F-150, jogged my memory of its dimension; at greater than 86 inches broad, the Raptor R sports activities three amber lights as a security halo within the higher grille as a result of the federal government classifies it the identical as a business supply automobile. Out on the desert, away from the relativity of street markings, rules, and different autos, it felt smaller and far more manageable.
A 0-60 mph time is irrelevant on a raised suspension in desert terrain that swaps laborious earth to unfastened sand right away, however the way in which the entrance lifted on takeoff matched the raise in my guts.
On one tabletop launch, the ability was nearly too nice. The trailing arms, that are a few meter lengthy and tie into the five-link rear suspension and large 24-inch coil springs, helped maintain all that energy down from a begin. When approaching the tabletop, I needed to let off somewhat from 70 mph simply to goose it once more by takeoff. It was my nerves, although, not the truck. Had I hit it at 80 mph, I might need gotten some Michael Jordan machine air, however I extra seemingly would have been despatched house with out hitting the feral off-road course. Efficiency driving is all about residing to drive once more.
Suspension upgrades to the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R
Nonetheless, getting some air in a 6,077-pound truck is a dream-state form of thrill: unsettling and superior without delay. In actuality, the launch is just nearly as good because the touchdown. Having the entrance wheels dip because the rears land, then regaining straight-line management earlier than tapping the pedal for the 13.8-inch Nitro ventilated rotors and drifting right into a 180.
The R upgrades from the Fox Dwell Valve shocks on the usual Raptor with new Fox Twin Dwell shocks that tighten up the rebound stroke for higher management to get better faster after hitting the ruts and bumps and berms and different Johnson Valley stuff.
A place sensor on every wheel is monitored by a management module for extra responsive damping primarily based on the way you’re driving and, critically, what you’re driving over. Mix this with NTN half shafts pitched to 35 levels (on the inside shaft; outer shaft is 45 levels), which is a 2.5-degree enchancment, netting an additional half-inch of wheel journey. That brings it to 14.5 inches in entrance and 15 inches in again. Extra tightly managed wheel journey results in extra confidence at pace.
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R
That’s particularly essential for somebody who has by no means flirted with close to triple-digit speeds on a technical off-road course full with a tough left over a berm, and one other descending right into a collection of rollicking whoops. The mud cloud cleared sufficient from my ascent to see the serpentining rally course down on the dry sea mattress under.
To navigate the twists and turns, it helped that Ford sped up the steering ratio to 16:1 from 17.2:1. Even when the course tried to jerk the wheel away, it shortly re-centered and I might higher whip the top round into the following flip with a measured quarter flip of the wheel.
The lateral stability created by all these upgrades gave me a confidence that outpaced my capability. By the third lap up into the desert highs and autocross lows, I saved getting higher, reaching increased speeds, bounding from the obscure apexes, grinning like a madman, lacking tooth be damned.
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R
The Raptor R’s $31,895 query
That is the painful half. At $112,220, together with the $1,995 vacation spot charge, the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R prices $31,895 greater than the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor. You may nearly get an F-150 XL for that value distinction. You may additionally get a GMC Hummer EV pickup or SUV for the value of a Raptor R. (You possibly can’t get a Ram TRX, not new, anyway.) However the Hummer EV nearly appears like a distinct class of auto, a tech showcase that’s as off-road succesful however not at speeds akin to these.
For top-speed off-roading, ideally in a dystopian desert removed from humanity, the query has a simple reply. Raptor R.
Ford paid for airfare and lodging for Motor Authority to current this firsthand evaluation.
